Notes From the Last Two Chapter Meetings

Below you will find notes from our previous two chapter meetings (on October 24th and December 1st). The notes from the October meeting are specifically on the take-aways from the small group breakout session where members talked about what they hope to see in the next CUNY/PSC contract; the notes from December are a summary of meeting in its entirety, and the discussion of several documents discussed.

We focused on the urgency of fighting back against the attack on labor of a Trump administration. A Trump Supreme Court will most likely vote in favor of a court case similar to “Friedrichs” making the entire country “right to work.” We presented three documents we hope the EC will endorse/pass tomorrow: CUNY as a sanctuary campus, labor against Trump, and a resolution centering adjuncts. We discussed a four-point plan that includes 1. Center the PSC’s work on CUNY Rising and on broad social and economic justice issues; 2. Place part-timer demands front and center in our contract negotiations; 3. Be prepared to strike; 4. Deepen relationships with the most progressive and powerful elements of the NYC labor movement.

Action steps for PSC based on group discussions from today’s chapter meeting:

Get a large group to go present adjunct resolution at the Delegate Assembly on December 15

Mobilize base with TWU contract fight in January. We have time in January since CUNY is on vacation. Opportunity to get GTF’s involved

Get members to DC for Inauguration Day protests

Prioritizing adjuncts in contract campaign should not just be a strategic issue about next “Friedrichs”. Should happen no matter what

Urgency of signing up adjuncts right now to build adjunct power. Need more adjunct members

We need clearer vision and concrete steps

Create Strike Committee now

Leverage of public campaign.

Part of public campaign power was SAV

Connect civil rights with labor rights

Public campaign about how CUNY provides for NYC. We train police, teachers, fire fighters

Internal educational work to build participation and engagement

Meetings between full-timers and part-timers. Meetings with students and faculty on different campuses

Commitment to organize adjuncts on each campus and provide educational resources to build solidarity

Use issues to do more one-on-one organizing similar to SAV. Train members to talk to other members and make connections between issues. Fight for contract is tied to broader issues around CUNY

Because we have many new members, we need more information provided to members on CUNY Rising, on last contract- what was successful or not, and explain acronyms

Highlight places of success for adjuncts and full-time faculty. Bring activists from locations to GC to discuss goals and how they achieved them. Adjust for CUNY and NY

Create meaningful solidarity between different tiers of the workforce and with our students